Mariners Game Preview: M’s Welcome the Young Cubs to Peoria

Mariners hope to get above the .500 mark with a win today against the Cubs.

The Seattle Mariners (4-4) will welcome the Chicago Cubs (1-7) to Peoria, AZ this afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 pm PT. Thursday is a matchup of big time southpaws, as Wade Miley (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will be on the bump for the Mariners and Jon Lester will toe the rubber for the Cubbies.

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Wade Miley will make his second start of the spring for the Mariners. The 29-year-old left-hander was very effective in his first outing, blanking the Los Angeles Angels across 2 innings. He allowed 1 hit, fanned a pair of Halos and issued 1 walk. Miley went 11-11 last season with a 4.46 ERA through 32 starts with the Boston Red Sox. Miley was acquired via trade this winter, and he is expected to serve as the M’s number three pitcher in the starting rotation.

Jon Lester will make his Cactus League debut this afternoon with Chicago. The 32-year-old Tacoma, WA native is widely regarded as one of the top lefties in the game, and he played an integral role in the Cubs postseason run in 2015. Lester went 11-12 with a 3.34 ERA across 32 starts in his first season in Chicago. He will have to have another strong year in 2016 for the Cubs to reach their lofty expectations.

Mariners’ manager Scott Servais and Cubs’ skipper Joe Maddon have released the following lineups for today’s game:

The bulk of the M’s starting lineup today is made up by reserves. Nori Aoki, Robinson Cano, Adam Lind and Seth Smith are the only regulars who will play for Seattle. Smith is off to quick start this spring, collecting 6 hits in his first 10 at bats. Lind enters play with only 1 base hit in spring training, but hopefully he able to put together some good at bats today.

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• Baking the Cake: An Adjusted Mariners Offseason Plan
• Taylor Trammell Could Provide Impact to 2023 Mariners
• How the Mariners could swing a trade for Fernando Tatis Jr

Another player to watch this afternoon is Luis Sardinas. The 22-year-old will hit second for Seattle and play shortstop. We delved into the battle to be the M’s utility infielder last night, and Sardinas has to be viewed as one of the favorites right now. He has been tearing the cover off the ball in Arizona, hitting .438 with 3 doubles and 5 RBI through 7 games. It will be interesting to see how Sardinas fares against Jon Lester.

Root Sports Northwest had their inaugural telecast of the spring on Wednesday, and they are back at it again this afternoon. Dave Sims and Mike Blowers will once again be in the booth calling the action. MLB.tv subscribers can also watch live on connected devices. Fans in the Pacific Northwest can listen to the radio broadcast on 710 ESPN, but it will delayed.

Next: Mariners Position Battle Update: Utility Infielder

Make sure you follow SoDo Mojo on twitter for live updates throughout the game, also check back with us for a full recap after the final out is recorded. Go Mariners!